The Philharmonic Society opens its 2026-27 season with three of today’s most celebrated classical artists—pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, violinist Lisa Batiashvili, and cellist Gautier Capuçon—joining forces for an electrifying chamber music program. Featuring works by Shostakovich, Debussy, and Dvořák, this rare collaboration brings together extraordinary individual artistry in a performance praised as “a supergroup to savour” (The Arts Desk).

The evening’s program begins with two student works by future musical titans Claude Debussy (Piano Trio in G major) and Shostakovich (Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8); the final work of the evening is  Dvořák’s ravishing Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65. My presentation will highlight some of the fascinating musical and contextual stories of these specific works—as well as the piano trio as a genre.